Beauty in the Chaos
by Echo parsnip
Summary: Keeping your sanity when it's just you and your dog locked in a prison during the outbreak was hard enough. But now with some intruders, Charmaine will have to learn to share the prison and to be able to trust again while still remaining sane.


A young Catahoula Leopard dog was was nuzzling his pink brown spotted nose into the heart of a hand hanging lazily off the side of a mattress. The sun hasn't even rose yet, but the dog's internal alarm was telling him to start the day. Realizing his owner wasn't waking up he began to lick the palm of her hand.

"Hermes, go to bed." Came a muffled response from under the pillow. Hearing this the dog soon pounced onto the bed, slowly he crouched low and crawled over towards the pillow covering her head. He let out a small huff signifying just how close he was to her. "Hermes, come on just five more minutes." She begged groggily. Annoyed, Hermes nudged the pillow up and flipped it over causing the now dirty blonde hair woman to sigh out of annoyance. She quickly sat up and stared into the amber colored eyes belonging to Hermes. He stared right back at her before turning around and hopping off of the queen sized mattress.

Glancing at her wrist watch, she took notice that it read 5:30 a.m. Standing up she quickly tied her long hair up into a pony tail as she turned on a small bedside lamp that was sitting in the corner. She had a small bandana covering it to dim the brightness from the walkers. Her light green eyes scanned the room which used to be her office, looking for her hiking boots. She yawned after she found them sitting on the floor next to the window.

After lacing her boots up, she stood up and stretched her arms over her head while taking a peek outside the window. The sun was just now peeking it's head over the clouds in the far off distance giving her a clear view of the prison yard outside the bars of her office window. Wallers were of course crowding the main prison yard, she smiled to herself remembering her accomplishment of clearing out the side yard off of the stairwell right outside of her office. She cleared it out a few months ago, and managed to scrounge around for some seeds, just enough to plant some tomatoes, corn, and carrots.

Turning around she saw Hermes eagerly standing at the door of her office wanting to go outside, smiling she picked up the glock 19 which was laid down on the desk alongside the wall. After checking to see it was loaded, she looked down at Hermes. Putting her jacket on and pulling the prison keys out of her pocket she soon stated, "Okay, Hermes. You know the drill, be quiet and stay on guard." Hermes just stood there with his tongue sticking out as he stared at the door.

"Okay then." She said as she unlocked and unbolted the metal door in front of her.

* * *

><p>The 25 year old girl and her dog quietly made their way down the third floor left staircase leading into the side courtyard. This was the only area she has cleared out on her own after the outbreak. She remembered it like it was yesterday. The screams, gunshots, ands worst of all the tearing of the flesh.<p>

"_Charmaine! Get in your office now!" A voice cried out stirring the dirty blonde haired woman out of her case study at the moment. She was on her internship for the psychology department within the prison. With her being a girl in this type of prison they suggested she get a guard dog as well as to have her own office in case times got rough. "Derrick! What's going on?" She asked her police escort who was rather distraught as he ushered her into the stairwell leading up towards her office. _

_"The prison has been breached, the outbreak of that infection has reached the prison-"_

_BANG!_

_the echo of the gunshot bounced through the stairwell causing the young woman to place her hands over her ears and to cower as Derrick quickly unlocked the door with a key hanging off a ring of keys. he then lifted up the bolt and the two shuffled inside. Hermes was pacing around her office with his ears perked up on high alert. He quickly bolted in front of his owner when he saw her enter the room while at the same time staring menacingly at Derrick. _

_"Hermes! It's Derrick." Charmaine commented as she placed her hand upon Hermes head in a calming, reassuring way. "Look, Charmaine ; You need to stay in here, no matter what you hear, do not open this door for anyone. Keep trying the phone and radio for help. But under orders are you not to leave this room, am I clear?" Derrick asked Charmaine causing her to nod her head in fear as she watched him thrust the prison keys into her hands. "Keep these just in case, as a last resort." Derrick pleaded as his blue eyes poured into her green ones as one last look before he turned and ran outside the door of her office._

_Running up to the door, she nervously locked and bolted it up behind him. Glancing down she found Hermes staring up at her with a sorrowful look in his eyes. Giving a reassuring smile she walked over towards him and lowered herself to his eye level pulling him into a tight embrace. "Let's try that phone, shall we?" She asked pulling away and walking towards her desk._

_Picking up the black phone, she quickly dialed for 911. "The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected, please try again later." the operator greeted causing Charmaine to shake her head as she placed the phone back on the hook. "This can't be happening." She muttered before jumping at the sound of another gunshot firing and the sound of something crashing into the metal door of her office. Gulping loudly she glanced over to see Hermes in attack mode as he stared daggers towards the door. _

_Picking up the phone again, she dialed the only number she had memorized. ' Stupid smart phones, made everyone lazy.' She muttered aloud just before she heard the ringing tone, causing her spirits to become much more better given the situation she was in._

_"Hi you've reached, Rick, Lori annnndddd Carl! Sorry we're not here to take you call but leave a message and we'll get back to you pronto!" Charmaine smiled at the excited voice of her nephew on the answering machine._

_"Hey you guys, I hope you'll get this before the outbreak reaches you. But it's me, Charmaine. Listen, the outbreak-" Charmaine pulled the phone away from her ear as she stared at the receiver. The line went dead._

_"AHHH!" A voice echoed throughout the hallway of the third floor. "Hermes!" Charmaine called causing the dog to turn around to see his owner standing up as she pulled a gun out of her desk. He watched as she walked towards the side of the room and opened the door. Charmaine whistled for Hermes to follow, loyally he did , as she closed the door behind him. He watched as she climbed into the tub and beckoned him to jump in with her._

_Charmaine leaned against the wall of the tub as her left hand held her glock and her right hand patted Hermes atop his head. _

_"At least I have you, Hermes. At least I have you." She muttered as she gripped the glock to her chest as more screams emitted into the night._

* * *

><p>Charmaine kneeled on the soil as she glanced around her small garden, as her hands began to pluck some tomatoes off the vine. She smiled seeing Hermes lay down on the ground across from here. "Look at this Hermes, that's a giant tomato! They justkeep getting bigger, Oh! And the corn! My oh my, we'll be eating good this week!" she triumphantly exclaimed as Hermes stood up rather quickly and took a hunting stance. Ignoring his sudden change of character ; Charmaine kept on picking in her garden, that was until she felt Hermes pulling on her pant leg. <em><br>_

"Hermes, you know it's not playtime! That's for inside. It's too dangerous to play out here!" Charmaine scolded only to feel him tug even harder. "Hermes , I said no!" She exclaimed feeling his grip loosen as she turned around to find him running around the corner.

"Hermes!" Charmaine cried, dropping the tomato out of her hands as she stood up, now with glock in hand and chased after him. Once she turned the corner her eyes saw red. A figure was crouched low, back towards Charmaine, pointing a rather complicated bow and arrow to a teeth barring Hermes. She could hear Hermes emit a menacing growl towards the intruder. Quietly she put the glock away and flicked open her switchblade as she quickly crept upon the intruder, placing the blade upon the intruder's neck.

"You harm that dog, this blade will cut right into your jugular."

* * *

><p>Charmaine beckoned Hermes over as the intruder slowly lowered the weapon as she pulled her switchblade away. Once she backed up, she soon regretted it. As of right now Charmaine found herself staring down the wrong end of a bow an arrow. Hermes once again began to growl menacingly. Charmaine made out her assailants features with the rising sun's rays spilling onto him. He had scraggly brown hair and dressed rather rugged.<p>

"How'd you get in? The yard was covered with those-"

"Walkers." He finished for her with a thick accent. Nodding, she swallowed the lump in her throat as the man circled around her with his bow and arrow still on her. Hermes was also circling with his mouth open in a fight stance while growling simultaneously. Hearing his growl, Charmaine met her assailants dark brown narrowed eyes as she began. "Listen, Hermes here doesn't like it when I'm being threatened so unless you'd want about oh, 300 pounds of pressure force from a dog bite on your leg, I'd suggest you lower your weapon." She watched as her assailant took a quick glance down towards Hermes before glancing back into her calming Forrest green ones and lowering his bow and arrow.

"He's a catahoula, the pressure is more about 310." He muttered tearing his gaze away from her now baffled face expression. Straightening her stance she whistled for Hermes to come to her feet. "Wow! No ones been able to recognize his breed in this area, but back to my question. How did you get past all those biters?"

"I'm with a group. We cleared them out. Who are you with?" He replied rather shortly. Seeing her uncomfortable stance she shrugged her shoulders as she answered, "As far as I know, it's just me and Hermes. I was able to clear that side yard out but that's as far as I got. That and the hallway my office is in. Where I've been living." She watched as the man turn around abruptly and stalked off.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm talking to you !" Charmaine exclaimed as she followed the man into the now cleared prison yard. Her eyes widened at the dead biters lying all over the ground. there Charmaine and Hemes stood in utter disbelief.

* * *

><p>She watched as her assailant walked over towards the small group of people that camped out in the prison yard. her eyes lingered over a young boy in in what looked like to be a sheriff's hat titling his head over to the side taking her and Hermes in. Her attention was soon brought back by her assailant who was now walking over towards her with another man.<p>

"What's your name?" The new man asked not meeting her gaze. Smiling Charmaine acknowledged just who exactly this man was.

"Charmaine. Charmaine Grimes." She stated catching both the new man and her assailant off guard.


End file.
